The Dave Matthews Band has joined the rising tide of anger and shock at the Trump administration’s deadly immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis. Following the killing of 37-year-old American citizen and intensive care nurse Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Friday (Jan. 24) DMB posted an urgent message to fans on Instagram on Monday (Jan. 26) decrying what some have called a deadly government overreach.
“We are horrified by the images coming out of Minneapolis,” the band wrote. “It’s hard to watch and hard to believe this is America. There is so much shameful dishonesty coming out of Washington right now, but this much is true: If ICE wasn’t in Minneapolis, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti would still be alive today.”
The former reference was to the Jan. 7 killing of 37-year-old American citizen and mother of three Renée Nicole Good, who was shot to death by ICE agent Jonathan Ross after video of the incident appears to show her turning her car away from him and attempting to leave the scene of an ICE enforcement action. As with the killing of Pretti, Trump administration officials were quick to blame Good for what they claimed was the “weaponizing” of her car against the agent who shot her three times in rapid succession as she was driving away from him.
Similarly, in a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed that the unnamed officer who fired one of the 10 shots that killed Pretti, “attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” claiming the officer feared for his life and that of fellow officers. CNN and a number of other major media outlets have reported that a video analysis appears to show a federal immigration officer removing Pretti’s permitted firearm and whisking it away from the scene just before officers unleashed a barrage of gunfire on the prone, unarmed Pretti, who witnesses said had stepped in to help a woman observing the scene who had been violently shoved to the ground and pepper-sprayed in the face by agents.
Given increasingly vocal and, in some cases, bipartisan shock at another controversial killing of an American citizen during purported immigration enforcement activity, there are rising calls for an investigation into ICE’s tactics in Minnesota.
“None of this makes sense and it’s incredibly cruel,” the DMB wrote. “We must find a better way.” For those frustrated and alarmed by the killings and ICE’s aggressive tactics, the DMB said that their charity, Bama Works, have made donations to the ACLU and the ACLU of Minnesota.
Their comments came after Billie Eilish implored fellow A-listers to speak out about what’s going on in Minneapolis and other cities around the country. “Hey my fellow celebrities u gonna speak up?” Eilish asked. Her brother and musical partner, Finneas, weighed in with his own video in which he blasted the administration’s claims that Pretti’s shooting was justified because he was carrying a holstered weapon.
Joining them in speaking out were Pearl Jam, who reposted a letter from former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama about the Pretti’s killing. “The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault,” the Obamas wrote.
“Federal law enforcement and immigration agents have a tough job. But Americans expect them to carry out their duties in a lawful, accountable way, and to work with, rather than against, state and local officials to ensure public safety. That’s not what we’re seeing in Minnesota. In fact, we’re seeing the opposite.”
The Obamas noted that for several weeks Americans have been “rightly outraged” by the sight of masked ICE recruits and other federal agents “acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that seemed designed to intimidate, harass, provoke and endanger the residents of a major American city,” actions that have resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Trump aides have declared 16 DHS shootings since July “justified” before those investigations have been completed.
While past presidents have traditionally been loath to criticize a sitting commander-in-chief, in his letter former President Obama lashed out at Donald Trump and his administration, who he said seem “eager to escalate the situation, while offering public explanations for the shootings of Mr. Pretti and Renée Good that aren’t informed by any serious investigation — and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence.”
The former first couple’s letter concluded that, “this has to stop,” and expressed a hope that in the wake of the latest tragedy, the administration would reconsider their approach and find ways to work constructively with Minnesota Gov. Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey, as well as state and local police, to “avert more chaos.” In the meantime, he suggested, every American should support and draw inspiration from the thousands of protesters who’ve flooded the streets of Minneapolis and cities around the country to express their disdain for ICE’s deadly tactics.
“They are a timely reminder that ultimately it’s up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our basic freedoms, and hold our government accountable,” said Obama of the citizens expressing their First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.
Check out DMB’s statement and PJ’s repost below.
